I like them. I'm not voting for them in the next "Five Awesome Exercises" election but they certainly have their place. I've championed chin-ups for years, mostly because they're great for the upper back, lats, and arms. And because you can do them anywhere – chin-up bar, top of the Smith machine, scaffolding, top of the monolift, playground equipment, etc. Weighted chins are a good idea IF you can do them, and even then you still need to keep bodyweight chins as part of your training (unless you can bang out multiple sets of 20 with good form). And if that's the case, gain some weight!

Without a doubt, the Boring But Big is the most popular assistance template for the 5/3/1 program. This is because it is easy to program, easy to use and great for strength and size. There are a 2 basic ways to do the Boring But Big template: Example 1 Day One Press – 5/3/1 Press – 5 sets of 10 reps Lat work – 5 sets of 10 reps Day Two Deadlift – 5/3/1 Deadlift – 5 sets of 10 reps Abs – 5 sets Day Three Bench Press – 5/3/1 Bench Press – 5 sets of 10 reps Lat work – 5 sets of 10 reps Day Four Squat – 5/3/1 Squat – 5 sets of 10 reps Abs...